4th of July

What a big wonderful weekend we've had! We really decided to celebrate Independence Day in style this year. It's so nice when a holiday falls on a Friday giving us a long weekend to relax and spend time with friends and family. Our original plan was to go see the fireworks at Tumbleweed Park, who holds Chandler's official display. But my car accident and the resulting neck and backache put an end to those plans as spending hours in a park with no comfortable place to sit did not sound appealing to me or my back. Instead, we got together with some good friends from church who have 2 boys just about the same age as ours and did an impromptu barbecue and swimming party. Josh and his little buddy Nathaniel had a blast together, and it was nice to hang out with Jennifer and Brandon again. After leaving there, we met up with some other church friends and were able to watch the Tumbleweed fireworks from their neighborhood park, and totally avoid the crowds and traffic. Of course neither of the kids really wanted to nap that day, which is always the case when you really want them to nap, but they both were such troopers. Josh fell asleep on Andrew's shoulder shortly after getting to the park, but woke up in a great mood when the fireworks started. Ben was not at all interested in sleeping unless he was in his car seat, but was such a mellow happy boy and just sat on my lap watching everything around him. We got home at almost 11 pm. I think that's the latest we have ever kept our kids out. But it was so much fun!

Then on Saturday, Auntie Kerri and Uncle Jonathon finally had a chance to come from Las Vegas for a visit. They hadn't even been able to meet Ben yet! So we piled in the car and headed out to Avondale for a family barbecue. It is always so much fun to get the whole family together. There is no comparison to a house filled of 5 little kids ranging from 3 years to 1 month, and everyone getting along and having fun. The kids splashed in the kiddie pool in the backyard, everyone ate way too much good food and genuinely enjoyed being together. What a joy filled day! The gathering was even more joyous, because we found out that there will be a new addition to our family come March. Auntie Kerri and Uncle Jonathon are expecting their first baby! We have had such an awesome weekend. Here's a slide show of all we have done. Enjoy!